Royal Guard (Gravity Force)
:Note: This page uses ideas which originally belonged to a user called Xepeyon. The credit for the ideas belongs to him. The Royal Special Task Force, known commonly as the Royal Guard or Zero Division, is the most powerful militant force in all of Soul Society. An organization made up of former Captains of the Gotei 13 who were promoted to this level, the Royal Guard serve as the personal bodyguards of the Spirit King and the royal family. Only captains of the Gotei 13 know of their existence, though others have been known to discover them, such as Kenji Hiroshi and his son. As former elite captains of the Gotei 13, the members of the Royal Guard have considerable power and tactical knowledge. They are the highest class of Shinigami and only answer to the Soul King: not even the Central 46 Chambers or the Grand Sovereign Council have authority over them. While the Royal Guard is a single force, it is made up from five smaller divisions, known as the Royal Ring of Five Guards. Ranks Similar to the Gotei 13, the Royal Special Task Force has ranks. However, the ranks in the Royal Guard function differently than that of the Gotei 13. Unlike the twenty reserved ranks for officers, and the the existence of non-ranked Shinigami, the Royal Guard consists of five smaller divisions known as the Ring of Five, have only two separate leader-appointed ranks, and because all members of the Royal Guard were former captains, there are no major gaps in power between individuals. Supreme Commander The Supreme Commander (最高司令官, soudaishou; Supreme-Commander) is the head captain of the Royal Special task Force, and the true personal bodyguard of the Spirit King. The Supreme Commander also holds the position of being the head of the First Ring of the Ring of Five. The Supreme Commander is said to be the most powerful member of the Royal Guard, as well as being the wisest and most experienced. The Supreme Commander is chosen out of the entire First Ring, fighting the current for the position or be granted the position if the current one is killed or leaves. Second to the Soul King the Supreme Commander, holds absolute authority over ever member of the Royal Guard. Only the Soul King can over turn one of his orders. The Supreme Commander is allowed, to explore the inner depts of the palace that even the only members of the Ring One are not allowed to go. To make sure, that a Supreme Commander is strong he/she must be able to fight against the Four High Marshals and survive without using he/she Bankai. High Marshal A High Marshal (高統帥, kunshi gensui; High-Marshal) is the leader captain of one of the Rings of Five (excluding the special case of the Supreme Commander). Unlike in the Gotei 13, where captains are generally the most respected and powerful Shinigami, the position of High Marshal merely reflects one chosen for responsibility and experience in leadership. Also unlike in the Gotei 13, where captains are chosen though several means, the positions of a High Marshal are unquestioned and unchallenged. Chosen directly by the Supreme Commander, High Marshals are almost never removed or replaced. Marshall A Marshall (マーシャル, Māsharu; Marshall) is the equivalent to a lieutenant in terms of duties and position, as they directly help their High Marshall in the day-to-day running of the Ring. Unlike in the Gotei 13, where a lieutenant is the second strongest in their division, the Marshall's are not chosen because of their standing as the second or third strongest in the Ring, but because they have shown responsibility and leadership on a higher level than the captains who serve alongside them. Their appointment and and replacements are subject to change depending on the individual High Marshall. Usually, there are always two Marshall's for each Ring at any one time. Captain A Captain (隊長, taichō; Captain) entirely make up the Royal Guard, including the High Marshals and the Supreme Commander. The title of captain exists in every one of the Ring of Five, and functions very differently than in the Gotei 13. The title of captain is simply an extension from their time in the Gotei 13. Because of this, there are no true superior ranks - in the sense of power - within the Royal Guard. The closest existence to division in power or ability are the classes of the Royal Ring of Five Guards, which seperate the captains by their ring. Captains are divided by "levels", which are according to their ring. Royal Ring of Five Guards Uniforms The uniforms of the Royal Guard are both similar and different from those in the Gotei 13. Like in the Gotei 13, High Marshals and the Supreme Commander have distinguished uniforms. Like the lieutenants of the Gotei 13, the High Marshals have armbands with a crest-plate of the Royal Guards insignia and their ring (the Ring of Three has three rings in their insignia, while the Ring of Five has five rings in their insignia). The Supreme Commander also has a silver tomoe medallion, which distinguishes him as the head of the Royal Guard. The rings are also divided by color, albeit subtly. Like the captains of the Gotei 13, the captains have their haori from their time as a captain in the Seireitei. However, the edges of their haroi are lined with one of five different colors; Ring of Five is amethyst, Ring of Four is cerulean, Ring of Three is crimson, Ring of Two is viridian, and Ring of One is gold. Members Traditionally, all members of the Royal Special Task Force were former captains of the Gotei 13. Kirio Hikifune, who was a former Captain of the Twelfth Division, and Ryouta Hachirou, who was a former Captain of the Fifth Division before Adam Martinez, were two such members. However, exceptions were known to have been made, such as the case of Jiro Kazuki, who once deserted from the organization to be welcomed back again. Jiro's appointment was outside of the traditional cycle of only captains being recruited into the Royal Guard, as he never held the position of captain before joining the Royal Guard. Haru Nakamaru one of the former Supreme Commanders is the only known one of the entire Royal Guard, to have never been part of the Gotei 13. Haru also went to the Shino Academy as ordered by the Soul King, before he could become a real member. :※''' represents a current High Marshal :⁂''' represents former members of the Royal Guard Ring of One *'Haru Nakamaru' ⁂''' *Ryu Chikyu' '⁂''' Ring of Two *'Haruki Minrou' ※''' *'''Okami Enma ⁂''' *Miyata' '⁂''' Ring of Three *'Rei'juro Satonaka' ※''' *Dastan Shiba' '⁂''' *'Hotaru Kazuko '⁂ ''' Ring of Four *Jiro Kazuki' '※''' *'Ryouta Hachirou' Ring of Five *'Kōdōtai' ⁂ Behind the Scenes As stated above, the ideas shown on this page originally belonged to Xepeyon. The credit goes to him for them.